Hyundai EV Likely in the Works for 2016

Sister companies, Hyundai and Kia, have both had their hands in alternative fuel options for their vehicle lineups as the world turns to green tech to power their cars. Traditionally, however (and by traditionally, we mean in the last couple of years), Kia has been the one to explore battery-powered electric vehicles while Hyundai’s focus has been on hydrogen fuel cells.

“There is no clear direction about which eco-friendly cars will win,” Senior Vice President, Lee Ki-sang, explained to reporters last week. “We are dividing roles of Hyundai and Kia, with Hyundai launching fuel cell cars and Kia focusing on electric cars.”

Ki-sang added, “But the time will come when Kia will introduce a fuel-cell car. Hyundai is also preparing to launch a (battery-powered) electric car in 2016.”

Unfortunately, Ki-sang gave no further information regarding the Hyundai EV in the works for 2016, but we can expect the technology to have its roots in the 2015 Kia Soul EV. It debuted at the Chicago Auto Show and will go into production in April of this year.

Could the 2016 Hyundai electric vehicle be a Genesis? We’ll just have to wait and see.

The Soul EV is expected to sell for a little under $40K here in the U.S., but Reuters estimates that it will cost only about half of that after government subsidies. It is expected that a Hyundai EV would be priced similarly for American drivers.